The present invention relates, in general, to electronics, and more particularly, to methods of forming semiconductors.
In the past, the semiconductor industry utilized various methods and structures to form semiconductor devices that had some degree of protection from electro-magnetic (EM) interference or EMI. Typically, semiconductor die were encapsulated in packages to form a semiconductor device that reduced the semiconductor device's susceptibility to high frequency signals. The packages typically included metal in the packaging material or adhered to the packaging material in order to provide an electro-magnetic (EM) shield for the semiconductor die. The metal in the packaging material formed a shielded package. Generally, the shielded package was manufactured to an almost completed stage, then, the semiconductor die was assembled into the shielded package. The manufacturing of the shield package increased the packaging costs and increased the cost of the resulting completed semiconductor device.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a method of forming die from a semiconductor wafer that reduces the cost of the assembled EM protected packaged device, that forms a more EM protected semiconductor die, and that has a low cost for the EM protected semiconductor die.
For simplicity and clarity of the illustration, elements in the figures are not necessarily to scale, and the same reference numbers in different figures denote the same elements. Additionally, descriptions and details of well-known steps and elements are omitted for simplicity of the description. For clarity of the drawings, doped regions of device structures are illustrated as having generally straight line edges and precise angular corners. However, those skilled in the art understand that due to the diffusion and activation of dopants the edges of doped regions generally may not be straight lines and the corners may not be precise angles.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the use of the word approximately or substantially means that a value of an element has a parameter that is expected to be very close to a stated value or position. However, as is well known in the art there are always minor variances that prevent the values or positions from being exactly as stated. It is well established in the art that variances of up to at least ten percent (10%) (and up to twenty percent (20%) for semiconductor doping concentrations) are reasonable variances from the ideal goal of exactly as described.